Russia helps to evacuate civilians from Damascus suburb

Russian military of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in the Syrian Arab Republic have evacuated ten civilians, including three children, from the town of Duma controlled by the so-called “opposition” militants, RIA Novosti news agency reports on 20 January.

The operation was conducted by the Russian Center together with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. The Center’s Commander Major-General Yuri Yevtushenko assured journalist in that the evacuation of civilians from the East Ghouta province will continue.

According to the liberated people, civilians are starving on the territory controlled by militants. Despite a disastrous situation of the residents, militants prevent passage of people to the areas controlled by the government because they fear to lose the remains of their authority among other groups.

The East Ghouta province is one of the de-escalation zones, which was created according to the agreement signed on 4 May by Russia, Iran, and Turkey as guarantors of truce in Syria. The area is, in fact, the eastern suburb of the capital. The East Ghouta province is under control of Jaysh al-Islam militant group (organization banned in Russia). The evacuation of civilians from the East Ghouta province to the territory controlled by government troops began as a result of lengthy talks with chiefs of militants. The first mass evacuation was on 29 December, 2017, when representatives of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in the Syrian Arab Republic had evacuated 111 people.